BloomingtonBoard of Park Commissioners on Tuesday approved a memorandum of understanding with the city Economic and Sustainability Department to create a Tree Assistance Program funded up to $50,000.

The pilot program will provide financial help to qualifying Bloomington homeowners for removal, mitigation and planting of private trees. The funding will be available until expended or through April 1, 2026, the memorandum states.

The program is intended to offer a sliding scale of assistance, with households at or below 100% of area median income eligible for up to $2,500 for private, high‑risk tree removal or mitigation and for tree planting. Applicants must be owners occupying a single‑family residence within city limits; staff said the program is not for rental properties or commercial properties.

"This is something I've worked on for a couple years now," Urban Forester Haskell Smith told the board, describing outreach and how the city identified a funding source through Economic and Sustainability Department channels. Smith said staff will coordinate much of the procurement and contractor selection rather than ask individual homeowners to secure contractors and seek reimbursement.

Smith outlined a near‑term timeline: pending the board vote, applications are expected to open Aug. 1 and close Oct. 1; a review committee will rank applications; staff will issue an RFQ and seek bids in November; and, weather permitting, removals and plantings would be carried out in winter and spring.

Parks Director Tim Street and commissioners noted demand and the programs likely popularity after recent storms. The motion to approve the MOU passed unanimously on a roll call vote: Ellen Radke, Israel Herrera and Jim Whitlatch voted yes.

Staff emphasized the pilot nature of the effort and said future funding rounds are not guaranteed; program continuation would depend on results and available budget. The MOU specifies that funding ends when the $50,000 is exhausted or on the stated calendar date.

Clarifying details in staff comments included program eligibility (owner‑occupied single‑family within city limits), maximum per‑household assistance ($2,500 for households at or below 100% AMI), and the anticipated application and contracting timeline. Staff said they will try to prioritize equity and administrative ease by handling RFQs and contractor coordination centrally rather than operating a reimbursement model.

The board did not amend program eligibility during the meeting; questions about longer‑term funding and program renewal were left for future budget or MOU discussions.